Pseudoaneurysm Endovascular Treatment of a Middle Colic Arterial Branch in a Patient with an Intermittent Digestive Hemorrhage from an Obscure Source: Case Report

Abstract

Aneurysms of the middle colic arterial branches are extremely rare, the main manifestation occurs due to the rupture and intraabdominal bleeding making death possible in up to 70% of cases. Herein, we report a case of a male patient, who is 50 years old and displays intermittent, recurrent, and self-limited episodes of a digestive hemorrhage that has been symptomatic during the course of a three-month investigation. After an extensive investigation, the patient was submitted to angiography detecting a pseudoaneurysm in the middle colic branch, being treated by embolization using micro-coils. Intermittent digestive hemorrhages from an obscure source can represent a diagnostic challenge, due to the high degree of clinical suspicion for performing the correct differential diagnosis. Arteriography must not be delayed whenever a pseudoaneurysm with active bleeding is suspected, as this exam is selected for diagnosis and the preferred method for conclusive treatment.